There is a lot of nice countryside around Baltimore--a fair number of college towns, lots of forests and country side and so on--you can even live near or on the Chesapeake Bay--there are a a number of commuter train lines that run in and out of Baltimore, as well--affordability is a bit of problem, because the commuter lines go to where the commuters live, and houses in those areas are in demand--

The nice thing is that the suburban sprawl cuts off rather abruptly after you get a certain distance out--the bad thing is that the sprawl is creeping ever farther--

Having moved here recently (about 50 miles from Baltimore, and about 40 from Washington) I have had to look at the area from the same point of view as you have--PM me if you want--I'll look around for more info--